His World's End: Conversation
by Gater101
Summary: Scene addition. Jack and Teague talk about what's on Jack's mind. Jack's trying to avoid thinking, or talking, about what it is, exactly, that's on his mind. Slight JE.


**His World's End**

_**Conversations**_

Jack watched as the fingers strummed across the old guitar, the others tuning the chords at the other end. He remembered listening to Teague play the guitar when he was younger and he had always wanted to play too but he had never quite gotten around to learning.

Teague's words from earlier had rattled Jack and he'd been unable to consume his much beloved rum with the rest of his merry men and so he found himself hiding in a dark corner of his father's hut inside Shipwreck Cove. Jack wondered if Teague knew he was there but of course he did. He was Captain Teague. Still, Jack tried to stay hidden, his eyes in an unfamiliar thoughtful stare, his mind working steadily, mulling over words spoken years and hours ago. Teague was the only person – well, except maybe one other person – who could sober Jack Sparrow and Jack Sparrow didn't like it. The man scared him, always had. He knew far too much about Jack for Jack to be entirely comfortable with him around his crew.

Eventually the soft strums stopped but Teague still did not turn to Jack's corner by the door and Jack didn't let loose his position. One hand fiddled with his braided beard while the other rested against his hip, his arm propping him up against the wall. He pursed his lips as he watched Teague sit the guitar on the ground and slowly sit back in reclining position on the chair.

Maybe he didn't know Jack was there.

"You can stand there in silence all night, boy, but that won't help you talk to me."

Jack rolled his eyes.

_Then again, maybe he did._

Jack pushed himself away from the wall and stepped out of the shadows, the candle light flickering across his face, burning his dark eyes slightly. He squinted into the brightness.

"Who says I wanna talk to you?"

Jack sauntered casually to the side of Teague's chair and flinched when the older man's hand flicked his leg.

"Why else would you be 'ere?"

"Per'aps I lost my way, stumbled upon you."

"There was no stumbling. Skulking, maybe, but no stumbling." Jack smirked sarcastically and took a large step so he was standing in front of the revered Captain Teague. "And besides, Jacky, you grew up here. You know the place too well to get lost."

Jack rolled his eyes.

"I s'pose."

The two men eyed each other for long minutes, neither willing to look away, to back down. Jack hated when they did this. He felt like his father was stripping him of his body and searching his soul through his eyes. Jack had seen others try to do it and the only person who came close was…

Well, someone who he didn't want to think about right at the moment.

"King Swann, eh?"

Jack looked up guiltily, imagining Teague had somehow mastered the art of reading minds but all he saw there was genuine curiosity and confusion. Jack smirked, self-satisfied and took half a bow.

"I know, curious, isn't it?" He repeated his words from an hour or so before.

He couldn't believe it himself when he'd uttered the words, but he knew that it was the only thing to do. She was the only one willing to 'bring the pirates out', as it were. And he had to side with her, regardless of what she had done to him. He'd seen the look of utter surprise that crossed her features, thinking that he was backing her up simply because he could.

Hadn't she figured it out by now, that he was Captain Jack Sparrow, pirate lord?

"Since when does the great Captain Jack Sparrow side with anyone?" Teague asked curiously, his eyes following Jack as he moved to one of the cabinets and started opening doors in search of something to find.

"I 'ave my reasons," Jack replied with a swift turn of his head, so he was facing the man he was speaking to. It was something his father had ingrained in him since he was a tot, to look at the person he was speaking to. Otherwise, it was the greatest disrespect one could give another and it deserved punishment.

Teague smirked but Jack missed it, too busy searching through another cabinet. He stood up and moved to the window and Jack felt his back stiffen at the closeness of the man. He eyed him with suspicion as he leaned against the window frame, his eyes scanning the crowd. Jack tried to follow his vision and his eyes landed on Elizabeth.

"And not all of 'em to do with your plans for immortality, I imagine."

Jack looked quickly to Teague's face and noticed the smirk there as the man flicked his gaze from Elizabeth to Jack.

Jack smirked half-heartedly and laughed a little as he moved away from the window.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he denied as he began rummaging again.

The only reason he had sided with her was because she was playing into his plans, that was all. There was no underlying, subliminal message. He closed the cabinet doors and moved away but he only managed to take one step before his progress was halted.

He froze, his eyes widening, thinking that Teague had grasped a hold of him somehow but when he heard Teague's mocking laugh he turned and saw that his red scarf around his waist had got caught in the cabinet doors. He grinned with half his mouth and tried to hide the embarrassment that was creeping up his face.

"Your Mister Gibbs will no doubt 'ave told you tha's frightful back luck to 'ave a woman aboard a ship, so why sail wiv her?"

Jack simply turned his back on the man who called himself his father and sighed as he began pushing back the rugs that were littering the floor.

"What are you looking for, boy?"

Jack simply shrugged and kept rummaging. He didn't actually know what he was looking for. He just knew there was something he didn't want to be looking for… at… and that something was what he wasn't looking at or for by looking for something that he didn't know… He blew his cheeks out and shook his confused head. He thought too much sometimes.

The thing that he didn't want to be thinking about or looking at… she was, in fact, being treated like a pirate king in the floors below him. He groaned outwardly as his mind wandered to her again and he wondered why he couldn't get her out of there. Maybe it was because by stomping into Shipwreck Cove, by winning Sao-Feng's title – and yes, maybe even shackling him to his ship in order to save herself, she had won his pride.

_("Pirate.")_

And she was. The King no less. He knew she'd come around, he only wished that it hadn't been at his expense. She was no longer the Governor's daughter but a through and through Pirate. Well, except her preoccupation with the whelp.

_("Where's Will?"_

"_**Not**__ among us.")_

He'll admit, though only to himself, that he felt a little guilty at using the whelp's desire to help his father aid him in his efforts to get Jones off his back and become immortal. He sighed again as he moved to stand beside his father. There went that bloody honest streak again, the little guy on the right trying to make him a better person – _a good man_.

He was just going to have to accept the facts: Jack Sparrow was not a good man.

And besides, the whelp had sold them for a ship.

_Who does that?_

Jack raised his eyebrow at that and laughed at himself.

_You Jack, that's who. Seems William Turner does know you a little after all._

"Is it really worth it, Jack?"

Jack jerked upright at the sound of Teague's voice. He'd somehow managed to forget that he wasn't alone and he turned to the older man with a frown on his face.

"Is what really worth it?"

Teague kept their eyes locked and Jack gulped and fought the urge to scream, or maybe even run away into the waiting arms of Lord Beckett.

"Immortality… watching all those people you care 'bout grow old and die." Jack wasn't used to hearing such serious words coming from anyone in his family; especially his father and he found himself turning away and looking down to the crowd below. His eyes instantly fell on Captain Swann's form and he instantly looked away. "You'll end up just like him," Teague continued after a few long, silent minutes.

Jack didn't look at him, didn't even smirk as his eyes found Elizabeth once again.

"I don' 'ave that problem," he murmured and glanced to Teague to see his reaction. "I don' care 'bout anyone but meself."

Teague didn't show any outward signs of… well, _anything_ and it unsettled Jack. He'd expected a smirk at least, maybe even a cuff about the ear. But it never came. He looked away again in silent confusion.

"And what about _The Pearl_, Jack?" Jack's back straightened at the mention of his ship. His eyes once again found Elizabeth talking to members of Jack's crew. He closed his eyes and hoped that when he opened them, he would be anywhere but here. Or that she would be not here. It did no good. They were both still there. "You'll 'ave to watch her in the hands of someone else." Jack instantly thought of Will, his arms around Elizabeth and he started at the image. "Can you handle that?" Jack turned his back to the window and folded his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes at his father.

_Damn that man was good. _

"The _**Dutchman**_ needs a Captain. Not _The Pearl_."

Jack gulped down the sudden lump in his throat at being chained to the _Dutchman_ and leaving his beloved _Black Pearl_ in the hands of Barbossa. He shuddered. He didn't like the sound of that. Maybe he'd leave _The Pearl _to Elizabeth?

_Ha! That'll be bloody right._

He dropped his eyes to his hands that were clasped together and he licked his lips, refusing to look at anyone but himself.

"And that's just if you survive this idiotic attempt at a war - against the East India Trading Company, no less." Jack pursed his lips and studied his nails. "It's a whole armada Jack. Headed by the _Flying Dutchman_. Even _The Pearl _won't survive it and you know it. It's a fool's errand." Jack smirked slightly but still didn't raise his eyes. He could feel Teague's hot breath on his neck and he closed his eyes, wishing that it would all just go away. "And how, exactly, do you plan to stab the heart o' Davy Jones?"

Jack shrugged, turning his eyes up slightly.

"Hadn't thought of that yet." Teague shook his head and laughed mirthlessly. "'s got to be better than dying in some hole in Shipwreck Cove."

Teague shook his head again and barked out a laugh.

"The last stand of Captain Jack Sparrow, goin' down in a blaze of glory in a war for freedom."

Jack grinned falsely and turned jovially to Teague.

"'as a nice ring to it, don' it?"

Teague stared at him, his eyes penetrating. Jack did gulp this time.

"And here was me thinkin' you was wantin' to live forever, Jacky."

Jack scowled at the self-satisfied smirk on Teague's face. He pushed away from the window and strode towards the door.

"I need a drink."

He was half way down the stair when he heard his name being called. He rolled his eyes and came to a slow stop, pivoting on his heel with his hip firmly grasped by his hand. It was the only way he would stop said hand from gripping the hilt of his blade and pushing said blade through someone's body.

Teague stood at the top of the steps, his eyes serious and sad.

"She's not a pirate, Jack." Jack tried not to frown at that. "But you are." Ah. He wondered how long it would take. "Remember that."

Jack nodded, feeling the bitter taste of resentment for the man in front of him in the back of his mouth. He simply smiled, showing his gold-capped teeth and pivoted once more before striding out of the ramshackle of a fortress.

He stopped only to grab a bottle of rum and slid it into his coat pocket. He strode down to the docks where his beautiful _Pearl _was resting for the night, alone and silent. He stood on the deck for a few moments, his head turned to the clear, starry Caribbean sky. His eyes eventually fell upon his favourite resting place and he moved to the mast and started to climb to the highest point of the ship.

He just wanted to forget, even if only for a night, that he was _Captain Jack Sparrow. _


End file.
